222 LIMIT OF OUR WANDERINGS. 



The breadth of the valley is less than a mile and 

 a half, and in some places the mountains on either 

 side narrow it even more. The Tibetan road 

 ascends the river for a ten days' march to its sources 

 in the Tang-la mountains.^ Here, too, there is no 

 population, with the exception of 500 Tangutans, 

 who are encamped about 100 miles above the 

 mouth of the Napchitai-ulan-muren. About 230 

 miles lower down there is a large agricultural popu- 

 lation, and the climate is said to be warmer, so that 

 probably the elevation of the country is not so great 

 in those parts. 



The banks of the Blue River were the limit of 

 our wanderings in Inner Asia. Although we were 

 only twenty-seven days' journey, i.e. about 500 

 miles from Lhassa, that goal was beyond our reach. 

 The frightful difficulties of the Tibetan deserts had 

 so completely exhausted our animals that three of 

 our eleven camels had died, and the rest could 

 scarcely move. Our pecuniary resources, too, were 

 entirely expended, and after exchanging some 

 camels for the return journey to Tsaidam, we had 

 only five lans (27^. бл'.) left, with many hundred 

 miles of road before us ! Under these circumstances, 

 we could not imperil the results already obtained by 

 our journey, and we resolved to return to Koko-nor 

 and Kan-su, to pass the spring there, and then to 

 continue our journey to Ala-shan by the road we 



' All caravans with camels take this road: there is another more 

 direct road practicable for yaks, without ascending the Murui-ussu, 

 'but it crosses many steep and lofty ranges. 



